If host Oregon State can beat Oregon, the Beavers will go to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1964. What that would mean for the Beavers is a chance to redeem their embarrassing 45-14 loss at Penn State in September with a Jan. 1 rematch with the Nittany Lions in Pasadena.

What the result means for everyone else could be really bad or really good depending upon your interests.

An Oregon State win means USC will be an at-large team, which means it's almost guaranteed a spot in the Fiesta Bowl provided it beats Notre Dame on Saturday and UCLA on Dec. 6.

In that scenario, Utah would go to the Sugar Bowl and play the loser of the SEC title game between Alabama and Florida.

Ohio State, which has been to the Fiesta Bowl three of the past six years, would be the odd man out of the BCS in that scenario.

If Oregon State loses and USC wins out and goes to the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl will chose between Ohio State and Utah with the Sugar taking the other.

There are a lot of signs pointing against the Beavers this weekend. While Oregon State was surviving at Arizona 19-17 without injured stars quarterback Lyle Moeavo (sore shoulder) and running back Jacquizz Rodgers (sprained AC joint in his left shoulder), Oregon had a bye, enjoying valuable extra preparation time.

Moeavo, who injured his shoulder Nov. 1, may play, but Rodgers is doubtful, according to coach Mike Riley.

Furthermore, Oregon goes in as the ranked team, but can play loose with less at stake than the Beavers, coach Mike Bellotti said.

"We can have some fun," he said. "We don't control our own destiny, but we can make our own way."

Just in case you are thinking of doomsday scenarios and wonder what would happen if Oregon won and UCLA upset USC, Oregon State would still go to the Rose Bowl according to the league's tiebreaker rules. The tie would be broken on how teams did against others in the league, which would go to Cal. Cal defeated Oregon, which would eliminate the Ducks, then the tie between Oregon State and USC would be broken on head-to-head.

Speaking of doomsday scenarios, want a few more? With Florida and Alabama already locked into the SEC title game, everyone is assuming those teams are going to win out with the winner going to the BCS title game. But both have tricky games this weekend. Alabama plays rival Auburn in the Iron Bowl, which the Tigers need to win to become bowl eligible, while the Gators play rival Florida State.

If both lose, that could open the door for USC to get into the title game, even though the Trojans may not even win their conference.

It could possibly also lead to two Big 12 teams being ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the final standings. Let's say one of them isn't Missouri, which in our doomsday scenario wins the Big 12 and gets an automatic berth.

In that case all three would go to the BCS. The rules state only two teams from a conference can go, this would be the one exception.

That is a super-long far-fetched possibility. It's more likely that Oklahoma, if it beats Oklahoma State on Saturday, jumps ahead of Texas and becomes the Big 12 favorite for the Big 12 and BCS title game. The Longhorns are No. 2 right now and beat Oklahoma earlier in the season, but they finish with weak Texas A&M on Thursday. Oklahoma already is stronger in the computer polls and will get a bigger boost with an impressive win Saturday.

Having the Sooners ranked ahead of Texas may not be fair in many observer's opinions, but fairness isn't a part of the BCS formula.

Tribune power rankings

1. Alabama (11-0), same

Auburn needs upset to become bowl eligible

2. Texas (10-1), up

Needs a big, big win to maintain spot

3. Florida (10-1), up

Scored 42-plus in last six games

4. Oklahoma (10-1), up

In position to jump past Texas

5. Penn State (11-1), up

School's 800th win smelled like roses

6. Oklahoma State (9-2), same

Cowboys had an extra week to prepare

7. Texas Tech (10-1), down

Future no longer in Raiders' own hands

8. Utah (12-0), same

Finally getting some love from national pundits

9. USC (9-1), same

Has won six straight over the Irish

10. Ohio State (10-2), same

Could be team left out of BCS if OSU wins